TRAUMATISED veterans have turned historical sleuths to help them cope with the horrors of modern-day war.

Battle-hardened soldiers who served in conflicts from Northern Ireland to Afghanistan and Iraq have swapped their rifles for metal detectors.

The former servicemen and women have been given a new lease of life by Derek McLennan, and his partner Sharon McKee, who made headlines around the world after they unearthed a 1000-year-old Viking treasure hoard in Galloway.